Electric or petrol? Compare the cost and CO₂ of your road trip

"Is it actually cheaper by electric car?" depends on the car, the route and above all where you charge. Rather than guess, run the numbers for the trip you are actually taking.

What decides the answer

Four numbers do most of the work:

• The electric car's consumption — in kWh per 100 km (or per 100 miles). Motorway speeds and cold weather push it up.
• The price you pay per kWh. Home or hotel charging is usually much cheaper than motorway fast chargers.
• The petrol car's consumption — in litres per 100 km (or miles per gallon).
• The petrol price along the route.

Because prices differ so much between countries and charging networks, there is no single right answer — which is exactly why it is worth calculating for your own trip.

Calculate it for your route

Open Savings from any trip. Holiday Routes takes the trip's total distance and lets you enter the electric car's consumption and charging price and the petrol car's consumption and fuel price. You get:

• the cost of the trip by electric car and by petrol, and the difference;
• the CO₂ avoided at the tailpipe on this route;
• the percentage saved.

Share the result

The result comes as a ready-to-post card with your route and numbers. Download it as an image for Instagram or WhatsApp, copy a suggested caption, and — if you like — give the card a background inspired by one of your destinations.

Read the numbers honestly

• The calculation uses your inputs: change the prices to match the chargers you will really use.
• CO₂ is compared at the tailpipe. How clean the electricity is depends on the country's grid.
• Ferries, tolls and parking are the same for both cars and are not part of the comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use miles and gallons?

Distances follow your unit setting, so switch to imperial and the trip distance is shown in miles.

Does it work for trips that are not by electric car?

The comparison is designed for electric-car trips: it shows what the same route would cost with a petrol car.